Europe News

Eurozone business activity accelerated to its strongest level in eight months during July, supported by a recovery in the services sector alongside continued improvement in manufacturing. However, businesses remained cautious as uncertainty surrounding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to weigh on the economic outlook, according to the latest survey. The S&P Global Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which measures combined activity across the

Banks across the euro area adopted more cautious lending practices during 2025 as heightened trade tensions, particularly those affecting exports to the United States, increased risks for businesses, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). The findings were published in an ECB blog post by economists Anastasia Allayioti, Alessandro Ferrari, Petra Köhler-Ulbrich and Matías Lamas Rodríguez, together with research analyst Wouter Wakker. Their analysis combined corporate lo

European governments are confronting an unprecedented fiscal challenge as mounting expenditure associated with ageing populations, the transition to cleaner energy and increased defence commitments threatens to place significant pressure on public finances, according to a newly released paper by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF's European Department warned that average public spending across the region is projected to rise by nearly 5 per cent of gross domestic

Europe’s illegal online gambling market is no longer a side issue for regulators. New figures presented at the European Parliament suggest that unlicensed operators targeting EU consumers generated €91.6 billion in activity in 2025, costing Member States an estimated €22.9 billion in lost tax revenue. The figures, revealed during a European Casino Association roundtable on illegal online gambling, show a market that is growing faster than enforcement systems can contain it. T

The fight over Russia’s frozen central bank assets has moved deeper into the courts, turning one of Europe’s most important sanctions tools into a complex legal battlefield. Euroclear, the Belgian-based financial market infrastructure group holding a major share of immobilised Russian sovereign assets, has sued Russia’s central bank in Belgium. The aim is to block enforcement of a Moscow arbitration court ruling ordering Euroclear to pay around €220 billion in damages linked

Malta may be sitting at the top of Europe’s growth table, but Cyprus is building the quieter, more balanced story. A new Euronews analysis, based on IMF projections, places Malta as Europe’s leading medium-term growth performer, with the island economy expected to grow by nearly 4% annually over the next five years. The headline is impressive. It reinforces Malta’s image as one of the eurozone’s most dynamic small economies, supported by tourism, online gaming, financial serv

Germany has opened a major confrontation over the European Union’s next long-term budget by demanding a €400 billion reduction to the Commission’s proposed 2028-2034 spending plan. Reuters reported that an internal German government document described the proposed budget of almost €2 trillion as unaffordable and warned that, as it stands, agreement would be impossible. Because the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework requires unanimity among all 27 member states, Berlin’s pos

A major debate is intensifying within the European Union over the future direction of its emissions trading system (ETS), the bloc’s central tool for pricing carbon since its launch in 2005. The dispute is unfolding as policymakers weigh how to maintain industrial competitiveness while still meeting long-term climate targets, including the EU’s agreed 2040 emissions goal. At the center of the discussion is Swedish steel producer SSAB, which is investing around €6 billion